Milestones
by Ajluv
Summary: All couples have to pass that first milestone. The first I Love Yous. A collection of sweet, funny, and romantic moments, following our favorite couples as they experience true love. Chapter Six- Piper/Jason
1. Thirsty

**Hey there! It's Ajluv! I've had this idea for a while, and original,y I was going to make it House of Anubis, but I thought, why not PJO? Here's the thing. I will try to do canon couples first, but if you like any non canon couples, I will try my best. In this case, it's not about my preference, but what you guys want to see. Anyway, here's the story!**

Percy and Annabeth, once they realized it, knew they were in love. They never actually spoke the words, but any idiot could see that they loved each other. An argument could be made that they didn't even need words.

Percy and Annabeth were a romantic, sweet, and strong couple, but they did need words. No relationship is perfect enough that they don't need communication. That's just the way things are.

Their passing of the milestone was quiet. They were crashed out under a tree, watching Clarisse chase around the new campers, showing her new Ares campers how to properly dunk someone's head in the toilet.

Annabeth was finishing up some drawings early, getting a head start in Poseidon's shrine, which she had most wanted to design because of her staggering amount of ideas. It helped to have the head counselor next to her, of course.

Percy was doing nothing in particular, his mind wandering, getting half way through one thought before moving on to the next.

The sunlight peered through the canopy, the leaves rustled and Annabeth reveled in the peacefulness. Percy wasn't bothering her about breaks and actually doing stuff, and the only thing on her mind was her ever growing thirst.

But the pavilion was all the way across camp. Reachable, but not a desirable walk on a lazy day such as this.

She felt Percy's eyes on her and she glanced up to meet his gaze.

"What?"

He kept scrutinizing her until he nodded his head in conclusion and declared-

"You're thirsty!"

Annabeth was shocked.

"Is that another Poseidon power? Really, c'mon. Leave some of the cool stuff for the other kids, Percy."

He rolled his eyes.

"It's not a demigod power, silly!" He gave a devilish grin, that made Annabeth's heart pound dramatically.

"It's a boyfriend sense!" It was Annabeth's turn to roll her eyes, but she didn't take it. She was too busy reaching for the bottle of sparkling water that Percy had materialized, and then kissing his cheek to care about scolding.

What happened next, just seemed right.

"I love you." There was no regrets, fights, or even shocked looks. Percy smiled at her and replied simply.

"And I love you."

**Sweet, I hope! I just feel like Percabeth deserves a sweet moment. Now the matter of the couples. I'm open to anything. I will do as many canon as possible and popular ships. (FE-Leyna) After that...anything you guys want. Pothena might be one couple I can't handle, but other then that, go wild. Hope to see some requests soon! (After all, that's how I'll know what you want to read!)**

**Peace!**


	2. The Ring Of Bronze and White

**Hey there! It's Ajluv! I was very motivated by the response, so here's a quick update. For The First Marauderette, who was my first reviewer. It's Charlene because I want the Chrisse chapter to be special for you, and I have to think of an idea. If anyone had any suggestions, let me know. Also couple requests!**

Charles Bekendorf was like most Hephaestus children, uncomfortable around other humans. Machines were their forte, and they had always relied on machines instead of social interaction. It was the fatal flaw of many a demigod, and a pain in the butt for Beckendorf.

He was no good with words, so how did he tell his gorgeous, sweet, perfect, human girlfriend that he loved her? He suspected that she felt the same way, so that wasn't an issue. Confirming those suspicions was.

He had asked Nyssa for help in a desperate attempt to save his sinking boat. She was a girl, and therefore the best consultant.

She had pulled of her favorite silver bandanna, and had wiped her face, mocha eyes staring him down and analyzing his face in that special way of hers.

"Well it's obvious, isn't it." She shrugged, slightly smiling. "If you don't have a way with words, do what you do best."

Beckendorf realized what she meant and immediately felt stupid. Of course...

She smiled and had turned back to the complicated mess of bronze gears on the table behind her.

"You know what to do."

And he did.

...

It was a gorgeous promise ring. Celestial Bronze and white-gold woven together, representing the two cabins they came from. On the inside there was a flattened piece of gold, almost like a plaque. On it were etched the words "I Love You, Forever And Always."

Charles had never felt more proud of himself.

He had asked Silena to meet him under their special tree, where they had, had their first kiss. He figured it was good luck.

She was waiting for him, looking like an angel in her dark blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly. He had never understood how girls managed to make a guy slack-jawed like that. It seemed like a magic power.

He swallowed nervously, his knees shaking. If his father had seen him, he would have laughed at the huge, scary, tough, Beckendorf shaking at the thought of making a speech to his girlfriend.

He clenched his teeth, focused on Silena's gorgeous smile and forced himself to talk.

"I'm not good with words." He started clumsily.

Her face seemed aglow, her eyes encouraging him. Silena understood.

"But I do know when I love someone." Her face seemed to change into an even more radiant expression, if it was even possible.

She looked ready to cry with happiness.

"Silena, I hope you will take this ring as a token of my love."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and he carefully wiped it away, treating her face like a prized possession.

She accepted it, looking at it.

"Gods!" That was all she could seem to get out, before she threw herself into his arms, kissing him with passion and gratitude. Never again would they be alone. The ring bonded them and made sure of that.

They broke apart and gazed at each other and he felt himself break out into a grin. She smiled back, looking like a goddess.

Even the ring couldn't express the love they felt for each other right then.

...

"OH MY GODS! A ring?"

Silena nodded, showcasing it proudly as her siblings crowded around.

Several girls broke out in tears and fanned themselves with their hands dramatically.

"It's too much to bear!"

"C'mon! You guys are acting like a couple of fangirls!" Silena protested, but not one demigod, monster, or god could mistake the look on her face for anything but pure love.

It was the most happy and giddy moment of her life.

But all good things must come to an end.

...

Silena sobbed, holding the ring close. It would keep her rooted, and safely on Earth, with the help of Clarisse and Percy's sweet memorable words.

But even so, she couldn't bear to wear it. Too many painful memories. She couldn't make herself completely get rid of it, so she placed it on her shelf. It held a special place next to the shells she had collected with her father and her lipstick/dagger.

Whoever it was on cleaning duty, was instructed by the others to carefully dust the ring, and not ever, EVER move it.

A pre-teen named Juliet had dug some ugly corrective shoes from her closet as punishment to anyone who broke the sacred ring rule.

...

She buckled the armor, smoothing the leather and polishing the bronze. Everything was in place. She was giving Camp Half-Blood a fighting chance. Just like Charles. She was charging for him, despite her Ares war cries.

A glint caught her eye as she clunked over to the door. She smiled, welcoming the dull ache in her heart, as it brought back sweet memories.

Why not?

She slipped the ring on its designated finger, feeling the flawless workmanship. Perfect, just like him.

...

Gods, it hurt. It was an ironic, cruel death for the child of Aphrodite. Her face, her beauty was being burnt off. Her claim of a demigod in the Aphrodite cabin, was gone now. No more beauty.

She imagined Charles next to her, stroking her burning face. Clarisse and Percy and the others blurred out of focus, and he became clearer. One thing remained clear though.

The ring.

He smiled, filling her darkening world with light and she smiled back. He held out his hand and she took it. They danced away toward the sun. After all, the only thing they needed was love.

In other words, they had everything they needed and more.

The ring was proof enough of that.

**Summertime Sadness came on Pandora while I was writing the final scene. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, I really like this. I think it's one of my best. What do you think? **

**Peace!**


	3. Traitors and Uglies

**Hey there! It's Ajluv! Updating roll! *holds hand up for high-fives like a nerd* Okay. Here's some Chrisse for The First Marauderette. My rant is coming soon.**

"YEAGHGGHHHHH!" Maimer broke through the practice dummy with a very satisfying sound. Fake blood oozed over Clarisse's shoes, flys buzzed around her sweaty hair and her heartbeat thudded in her ears.

It was more relaxing then any day spa.

Something shifted behind her and she was in action immediately, twirling her spear in her hand and maintaining her defensive position. No chump was going to get away with sneaking up behind her.

Instead, she just saw dull steps/seats. She narrowed her charcoal eyes and homed in on a single curl of brown hair sticking out of the fifth row of concrete bleachers.

"Rodriguez! Come out before I smash your FACE!" His head peeked over the edge and he blinked his mischievous chocolate eyes at her, grinning sheepishly at her.

"Sorry LaRue!" She feels her heart tweak, and maybe, maybe if she hadn't been the tough daughter of war that she was, she would have told him it was okay.

"Get out of here!" She yells and he does so, but she can't help but feel the tiniest bit of regret.

She gets angry at herself and smashes another head to feel better, realizing that she forgot to ask him why he was stalking her. Tho

He runs toward the woods, and though she doesn't think anything of it, she sees Luke head toward there as well.

...

The basement is scary. Candles flicker eerily against the dirty walls ( no one pays attention to the chore chart) and the air conditioning hisses and sputters like a monster.

Chris is curled up in a corner, and she wants to sob for him. He looks so lost, she just wants to take his hand and lead him back to the light. He doesn't grin anymore and his eyes are dull.

She hates this war. She hates it with all of her power and strength. It has done this to him, it has burned bridges and tore down peace like a rusted building.

And it has broken the boy she loves. Yes, that's where she decides she loves him, in that scary basement, with the footsteps that aren't really footsteps.

She tells him too, but it's lost in the endless mumble of words that she tells him to calm him down, and she doesn't remember it the next morning.

...

The absolute best feeling in the world, is not finding out that you won a war, or that your spear was fixed, but seeing Chris's eyes open, and seeing the clarity that comes with it.

He sobs and you sob a bit with him, and you even confess your feelings for him. He reciprocates, though Clarisse finds that it isn't some earth shattering revelation to exchange words of love. It isn't like the Aphrodite girls say. It's just confirming what you already knew.

...

She slowly becomes adapted to being Chris's girlfriend. Sometimes she wonders why he stays with a girl like her, and sometimes he wonders why she stays with a traitor like him. But really with a trust like that, you can't break apart no matter how hard you try.

It's the small moments that she loves the best. The ones where he brushes back her hair for her before another round of sparring, when he "buys" her lemon warheads (those things are intense) from the camp store and when she has to tickle him (tell anyone and you're deader then Hades) to get her gift.

...

They never thought of it as a milestone. Just like their feelings for each other, it was something they already knew. But still, it was something special to them, and they sub-consciously were saving it for sometime special.

This sometime special happened at a very cliche place for this sort of thing. The campfire.

She was feeling down for whatever reason it was nowadays. Missing campers, crazy dragons, no Capture The Flag...it was endless.

She felt cool fingers at her temple, brushing aside the bangs that Chris insisted were cute. He had actually beat up Conner for suggesting that they weren't. Clarisse had been so happy and proud.

She glanced over to him, Chris, her boyfriend, the crazy kid. He smiled at her.

"Love you."

"Love you too." She replied almost automatically, but she added a smile.

"Always have."

**Cheesy? Yes. Review worthy? That's up to you. Thank you by the way for your wonderful comments and follows. To First Madaurette-I hope you likes this!**

**Peace!**


	4. Time

**Hey there! It's Ajluv! Jason/Piper coming up next, I swear. But that chapter is going to be long, so I wanted to get this short snippet out of the way. **

Life as a nature spirit was simple. You lived in harmony with the earth (when it wasn't plotting to kill you) and lived a good life until the day of your peaceful demise where you restarted your life in nature.

Another thing about life as part of nature was time. You had a lot of it.

Grover treated the first few months of his relationship like the first week. It took six months to become official and Juniper didn't feel the need to tell Ash and Birch, her best friends, about Grover until the fifth date. With so much time, there was no reason to rush.

Their first I-Love-You came maybe a few days after Percy and Annabeth's wedding. They were in a romantic mood, despite Grover's broken arm from the monster attack that had interrupted the cake.

They were relaxing underneath Juniper's tree when she had spontaneously taken out the small knife that she had taken to carrying around after one Hydra too many had come close to her life source.

With a wink at a curious Grover, she had slowly carved through the brown bark she was so proud of.

The resounding heart with two initials and a plus sign, caused a small tingle to burn gently on her arm.

Grover nodded when he saw it, a look of contentment on his face. He was happy. There was no need for words.

With so much time, permanence was something that you didn't see often so it was reassuring in a way to see that small, but forever lasting token of love.

**Shoutouts! Yeah!**

**The First Marauderette- *smiles gleefully wearing noise canceling headphones* Thank you! I'll get around to soon, but first, tonight's a posting night.**

**Peace! Request, request!**


	5. Battlefield

**Hey there! Two Leyna requests, so what could I do but oblige? Request couples!**

New Rome was surrounded by hills. Nice, tall ones with grass and flowers. They provided a lovely view of New Rome and the battlefields, were a nice place to catch a breeze, and were considered the most romantic spot in the city. It was the footbridge (1) of New Rome, and the place where Reyna both received and returned her first kiss.

The place had a reputation to rival Reyna's but she loved it.

The grass was tall and thick, and although it would have been proper to trim it, she liked the peacefulness of being hidden by the grass.

Unfortunately, the grass could also hide things from her, which is how she ended up stepping on a boy's nose.

"OW! HOLY HEPHAESTUS!"

Reyna screamed and whipped out her dagger, staring at the boy draped across the grass. He didn't seem like a threat, and he wasn't a monster. Just plain old-human- black curls and swarthy skin. Probably Hispanic.

Instead of sending him off to kitchen duty, she dropped next to him, because despite the fact that she almost had jumped out of her armor, he was writhing around in pain and clutching his bloody nose.

Besides, a praetor always took care of her people.

"Are you alright?"

"Just peachy, sweetheart." The boy groaned. Then Reyna recognized him, and she yanked him off of the ground, holding him by the collar of his shirt.

"You." She snarled, and the boy gulped.

"Hello Reyna, your highness." He whimpered the last part, eyes wide, blood gushing down his face.

"You started this war."

The boy's expression hardened and he ripped himself away from her grasp.

"No. It wasn't me. It was Gaea. Why can't you stupid Romans see that it was Gaea all along! Gods!" He waved his arms around like windmills, twitching his eye and stomping his foot and she remembers his name.

"Leo."

"NO! Why can't you guys just see that all we want to do is make friends? Why can't you guys realize that friendship works in war even better then ally's?"

"Leo."

"I almost gave up my life to close the doors! I killed my own mother trying to get rid of Gaea. I gave up friends and a social life to build a flying warship! But no. Once I come back home, it's still the same. I bombed the camp."

He stops when she puts a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Leo." He sighs.

"Right, right. Whatever." He mumbles and blinks his eyes like he's exhausted.

She smiles weakly.

"If its anything to you, I feel properly abashed."

Leo grinned, rubbing his eyes, and wiping his nose.

"Point one for-Oh. My. Gods." He's staring wide eyed at the horizon. She whirls around to see hundreds, thousands of monsters, marching toward them.

Her mouth goes dry and her ears ring.

"Go!" She screams at him, and they flee, alerting any other demi gods they can find, racing toward their weapons.

It's time for the battle.

...

It's surprising, but they pair up for battle. She's flying Scipicio and he's in his big sleek warship, and they fight together.

She'll keep anything small from getting to him, and he'll keep anything big from getting to her.

Somehow he's laughing, yawning maybe, but with a definite laugh in their somewhere. She laughs too.

...

Leo can't remember how he ended up on the ground, but here he is, bashing in brains and shouting out insults, in a high pitched fervor.

He doesn't register the deadly duo consisting of Percy and Annabeth. He doesn't see Piper knock one of Gaea's officers to the ground with celestial bronze baked hams. He definitely doesn't see Hazel riding an elephant, although he would have liked to.

He's a whirl of blades and she is too, and he wouldn't have a problem with being trapped in alternate universe with her, as long as there was chocolate.

All this is in the back of his mind as he fights.

...

The sun is beating down, and for the first time, Leo can feel the deadly glare of heat. His side burns too, and he would kill for a sparkling water with a paper umbrella.

But no. He had to get himself slashed with a sword, he had to be in the farthest reaches of the battlefield where no one would come for ages.

So much for luck.

He thinks of Reyna in those final moments. Of their short meeting, and of her sparkling, Imperial Gold demeanor. If anything, he'd be the Celestial Bronze, strong and good for work. But she'd be the gold. She'd always be the gold.

...

Reyna doesn't know of this young boy's last thoughts, but she will always remember their meeting, his brown eyes, and the charge in his name that won the war.

Maybe their love was never spoken, but love is love, no matter what the game.

(1) Music Man reference.

**Peace!**


	6. The Garden

**Well...No one requested, so I pulled a couple from the handy dandy bag of couples and got Tratie! So, enjoy, review and request some couples. **

"You run fast." Katie remarked, as she found Travis leaning up against a tree, in the forest.

"Eh. Apollo kids are slow." He grinned as modestly as a Stoll could get, and nudged her little red wagon with his ragged sneaker.

"What's with the wagon, Girl Scout?" Katie rolled her eyes.

"Gardening supplies is a perfectly normal thing to have in the forest. A crate of empty orange spray cans? Not so much, Travis."

He sighed, but still grinned, plopping the broken crate in her wagon, causing dust to fly, and grabbing the handle.

"Who said I was normal?" He replied, with what he probably thought was a devilish grin. It turned out more like a crooked smile.

"Stop trying to flirt, and pull that wagon Mister." Katie ordered.

"If you want protection from Will Solace and his angry basketball players, then you'll have to earn your keep."

...

To is surprise, he actually enjoys planting the garden. He goes there every chance he gets. Katie does too.

Sometimes they sit together, near the cliff that overlooks a rocky beach path, watching the sunset. They've grown older, and they've learned that there were more important things in this world then the trivial matters of pranking. Besides, opposites attract.

Once they compared scars.

"This," Travis pointed to a white slash across his hand "was from helping the Hephaestus kids with weapons."

"I got this from sliding on a rocky path." Katie says, pointing at a sprinkling of white and red dots on her leg.

Once she asked him about his half brother.

He was in a good mood, and he was smiling, which Katie figured meant the perfect time to ask him something that had weighed heavily on his mind.

"Were you close to Luke?" He starts, and stares at her, using the blue eyes that are so similar to Luke's. A wave of pain crosses his face.

"I'm sorry-I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." He sighed. "We had a lot of kids, sure, but we were half brothers and he was always kinda nice to us."

He doesn't mention the tantrum of pure rage that had happened when Luke found out that the Stolls weren't twins. He still has the mental scar, even though the physical one has long since faded.

He doesn't mention the taunts and threatening, distrusting looks he and Conner suffered.

He doesn't mention the judgmental whispers, and rumors.

...

During the battle against Gaea, Katie almost faints when she sees brown curly hair, matted with blood, lying in the medical tent. Then she realizes that it's Conner and Travis is still out fighting underneath the fiery sun, and she berates herself for the relief she felt.

...

They eventually become very good friends, once the Aphrodite children or "Pink Devil Spawn" stop trying to lock them in a closet together, they become pretty close.

...

"No Katie! You gotta throw it like this!" He angles her arm just right, and steps back as she launches it at the passing figures.

"Now this is my favorite part!" He whispers excitedly, blue eyes scanning the horizon. "It's a life or death situation!"

...

She doesn't dread it until it happens, but the sinking feeling in her stomach when he comes up to her, all clean and smiling with a flowers, makes up for it.

"I'm sorry Travis. But we're just too different." He's sad, but she never knows the true extent of it, and Conner never tells anyone.

Then he's gone off to the Roman camp, excited about some kind of Demi-god extraction team, and she's happy for him, even though it hurts.

...

Katie hates the clock and its slowness. She hates the world, hates the sun, hates everything, including the monsters that kidnapped Travis on a mission.

Needless to say, when he finally bursts in through the medical bay doors, she doesn't hesitate to hug him tightly. Then scold him for getting himself captured.

...

Since they're older and more mature, it doesn't take long for their romantic relationship to develop, and they have their first date sitting among the flowers of their garden.

...

"Love you, Katie!" He calls back behind him, waving with the arm that doesn't have a sword tucked under it, running to catch up with the other marching demigods.

"Love you too, Travis." She whispers, smiling into the sun as it peeks over Half Blood Hill.

**That's my take on Tratie...anyway. Shoutouts!**

**The first Marauderette- Of course. And I didn't sob into my pillow (with joy) when Percy was reunited with Annabeth. ;) Thank you so much! And I totally agree with the sidekick thing. **

**The Lillith Jae-Nice catch! Yeah...Sorry about that. I just got some really good inspiration. **

**peace!**


	7. Three Alternate Ways and One Real Way

**Hey there! Finally, FINALLY! Here is the long awaited Jason and Piper chapter! Now on related news... HAGTTHYJDHBDBCHRYRJ! House of Hades comes out tomorrow! I envy the Australians who are probably reading right now! Eek! **

_Some ways that Jason and Piper could have said I love you, and then one way they did. _

_If they were on a battlefield_

"Here they come! Ready your weapons, everybody!"

Jason clutched his sword tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Relax." He glanced over at Piper, her eyes meeting his as she took a defensive stance.

"We'll be fine." She reassured him.

"I love you." He replied, grabbing her hand for a quick squeeze.

Her eyes were sad, joyful, and loving all at once.

"As I love you."

...

_If they were somewhere romantic._

"Is this the most cliche place ever?" Piper laughed, eyes twinkling with happiness as Jason pulled out a chair for her.

Jason pretended to look around the fancy restaurant for a moment.

"Yeah. Yeah it is. You though," Jason regarded her thoughtfully.

"You are the most unique person in here."

She smiled and brushed down her green dress, and rubbed her sparkly gold earrings.

"That's why I love you." She sighed. "You always have the right thing to say."

...

If they were on the brink of death

Jason pounded the pavement, glancing back with a growing sense of fear. This monster was harder then ever to out run.

"Hey, you ugly brute! Over here!" No. That couldn't be Piper. Piper couldn't be helping him. She was supposed to be safe and sound back at the camp.

"Piper!" He yelled, catching her attention as the colorful hairy monster roared and ran even faster toward him.

"Run!" The furry, monkey like animal roared again and spat out a blue gel that dissolved the pavement revealing dirty gray gravel and brown earth.

Suddenly, the monster whipped its tail around and caught Jason in the chest, throwing him into the brick wall.

His hearing went fuzzy and his vision was all static. When it finally cleared up, he found Piper standing over him, handing him a slab of ambrosia.

"Thanks." He muttered.

She smiled, her eyes making him feel warm inside.

"I love you." He added on, because she was being really nice.

"I love you too."

...

**_The REAL way._**

"Race you to the top!" Piper dared, eyes twinkling.

Jason nodded eagerly, poised to scramble up the rock wall as fast as he could.

"Wait." She stopped and kissed him, melting his mind into-OH! What a sneaky tactic!

He pulled back slightly. "I know what you're doing!" He whispered, catching Piper off guard.

"I'm not doing anything!" She protested weakly, pulling back and smiling.

He shook his head, jumping quickly onto the shaking wall and started to pull himself up with Piper in hot pursuit.

"I love you," He called back. "But you're going to lose!"

**Shoutouts!**

**Rue-Flower3900-I'll write that down! **

**Tel nok shock-Yay! Thank you!**

**PJO guard geek-Okay! I hope you enjoyed this! I'll take your suggestions down!**

**Lillith Jae-Enjoy this chapter!**

**Peace!**


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